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Gandolfini left his mark on many viewers

Movies and television shows are forms of entertainment that we all have enjoyed at some point. Through those formats, we have come to love many different actors for the joy they bring to us in the various characters they played. We enjoy them so much that they become stars in society and shine bright before us all. One such star was James Gandolfini, whose most memorable part was on the HBO show The Sopranos.

On June 19, the world lost one of its stars when Gandolfini suffered a heart attack and passed away in Rome, Italy.

He was born James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. in Westwood, N.J., on Sept. 18, 1961. His mother, who was born in America but raised in Naples, Italy, was a lunch lady at a high school and his father was a bricklayer from Borgotaro, Italy, who earned a Purple Heart in WWII. It was because of his parents’ heritage that Gandolfini carried a strong sense of being Italian which is something he developed throughout his life.

He attended Park Ridge High School, graduating in 1979. From there, he attended Rutgers University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies in 1982. Prior to acting, he worked as a bartender and nightclub manager. It was while living in New York City early in his life that he was introduced to acting when he accompanied a friend to an acting class.

Gandolfini made his film debut as an orderly in the 1987 movie called Shock! Shock! Shock! and followed it up with his second film, A Stranger Among Us, in 1992. In the same year, he performed in a six-week Broadway production of On the Waterfront.

Throughout the ’90s, he played several small roles in a variety of films. Some of his more memorable roles included Virgil, a brutal mob enforcer, in True Romance; Bear, an ex-stuntman in Get Shorty; and Lt. Bobby Dougherty in Crimson Tide. It was at the end of the ’90s that Gandolfini landed the role of Tony Soprano on The Sopranos, a role that would earn him three Emmys for Best Actor in a Drama and bring the man to star level.

After the show ended in 2007, Gandolfini managed to stay busy with his film career. In 2009, he played the Mayor of New York City in the remake of The Taking of Pelham 123. Just last year, he starred alongside Brad Pitt in the mob film Killing Them Softly and played the director of the CIA in the acclaimed Zero Dark Thirty. This year, in one of his rare comedic roles, he starred alongside Jim Carrey and Steve Carell in the comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. His final film, Animal Rescue, is slated to come out next year.

Looking at Gandolfini, one might not have thought that he was an actor. But in his many roles, he proved that he could perform unlike many others. He made a mob boss relatable to the everyday man and through his performance captured the hearts of viewers. He was often described as a man full of life and that he loved the life he had. With his passing, the world of acting grows slightly dimmer, but his mark will remain on those who loved his work.